A monogram on a gift takes something so cute already to something special and personalized just for that person. They are great for just about every occasion and if you are in the south they become an absolute staple. From the famous words of Reece Witherspoon “If it’s not moving monogram it”! We personally love to live by these words and we know many of you do too. There is only one problem, trying to make sure you do just the right monogram and have all the letters in the correct place can get confusing. Let’s not even get started on complicated last names. Lucky for you we are here to break it down for you and we may even have a little surprise for you at the end!


The female monogram which includes all three letters is most typically done in a circle font or vine font which interlocks the letters together. These two styles have the initials arranged in a different way than we are used to showing them. This is because when showing a female monogram the first letter which will appear on the left is the first initial of her first name. Next is the middle letter which will appear larger, this is the first initial of her last name. Finally the last letter which will appear on the right, this is the first initial of her middle name. For example: Hailey Kay Brown would be placed in this order for her monogram, Left: H, Middle (largest): B, Right: K.


The male monogram on the other hand is commonly done as all one size. Many times in a classic font this allows all letters to be the same size. With these types of monogram the initials appear in the order they would in the person’s name. For example: Jack Ryan Harris would be placed in this order for his monogram, Left: J, Middle: R, Right: H.


A couple is two people coming together as one and beginning a new life and journey together. These monograms are great for adding to any decoration around a couple’s home. If the woman decides to take her future husbands name then that first initial of the last name will be placed in the middle of the monogram. Now typically couple monograms will place the wife’s first initial first, followed by the first initial of the last name and finished off with the first initial of the husbands first name. For example: Georgia & Chris Ridley would be placed in this order for their monogram, Left: G (hers), Middle (largest): R (theirs), Right: C (his).


Single initial monograms are great for families or just as a subtle way to add personalization to a product. These monograms also allow for a lot of personal choice. You can you personalize a last name or first depending on preference. Last names are most commonly done but fist names are great especially if someone possibly may change their last name in the future. For example: A classic single initial K can represent wither Kelly (First Name) or Kensington (Last Name)


Items monogramed for kids are where you tend to see a full name used most. The second most common is when the last name without the use of “The”. There are usually many fonts available for adding someone’s full name to a product so this will give you room to get creative. Side note if you are dealing with and individual who has a longer than three initial name such as: Lily Ann Newman-Keane or Anna Bell Lynn Smith Williams (I know they are long right) most places that add monograms will consider these a name monogram and not one of the other three initial ones shown above.


Stacked Monogram is most commonly used for boys. This a great way to add a different personal touch outside of the traditional male monogram or name. When using the stacked monogram first initial and middle initial are stacked on top of each other (the first initial being placed on top) to the left of a larger last name initial. For example: Henry David Kennedy would be placed in this order for his monogram, Left: Top H, Left Bottom D, , Right (largest): K.


Becoming more common is couples that decide to combine their last names. This is usually done with the use of a hyphen but not always. In this situation adding a monogram to an item can be a bit tricky. You will have two options; let’s use the name Lily Ann Newman-Keane as an example. You can include all four initials which will appear as: LANK or you treat her name as if she had taken his name for a three initial monogram. This monogram will appear like a female monogram: Left: L, Middle (largest): K, Right: A.


Speaking of tricky names there are some last names that can cause quite the confusion when it comes to creating a monogram. Some examples are “Von Miller”, or “O’Henry” which can lead to confusion of what letter you include in an individual’s monogram. But the truth is it is super simple! Just use the first letter you see of the last name. For example: Emily Gabriella O’Henry would be placed in this order for her monogram, Left: E, Middle (largest): O, Right: G.


To add an apostrophe or to not add apostrophe that is the question. When placing a family name on any décor throughout a house you should not use an apostrophe at the end of the name. The only situation that would lead to punctuation being used in a monogram is if the name its self includes punctuation such as: O’Henry or Newman-Keane.

Because we know how confusing this all can be we included a quick cheat sheet just for you! Good for a quick glance when making any gift extra special and personal!